OC Community Grieves School Principal Who Died At Disneyland

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Fountain Valley School District counselors took to campuses on Monday, the first day back for grieving students and employees following the death of Newland Elementary School Principal Christopher Christensen.

A memorial that includes flowers and stuffed animals sprang up at Courreges Elementary in Fountain Valley, the Orange County Register reported.

“Mr. Christensen has been a respected leader in FVSD for over 20 years. His contributions and connections to this community are immeasurable. He was a father, son, husband, brother and friend to so many. His passing leaves us devastated and heartbroken,” a statement on the Fountain Valley district website said.

Police responded to calls that a man fell from the Mickey & Friends parking structure around 9 p.m. Saturday, Anaheim police and the Orange County Sheriff's Department told the Orange County register.

Reports of the fall coincided with a lengthy and cryptic Facebook post, in which Christensen said he had been accused of domestic abuse and that he had been placed on administrative leave by the district after being arrested following a Nov. 15 incident.

School district spokeswoman Joy Moyers told the Orange County Register Monday that she could not confirm nor comment on the Facebook post made by Christensen.

“I am on the brink of losing my job,” he wrote. “So, here I am…writing my final FB post to all of you. I need you all to know that a gentle, kind, loving and sincerely good man has been destroyed by one unfortunate night.”

Christensen pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor child abuse and misdemeanor battery on a spouse or co-habitant, court records show. He was due to appear in court Monday.

OC District Attorney Spokesperson Kimberly Edds told the Orange County Register that the abuse charge was not related to his job as a principal.

Christensen was a principal at Newland Elementary School, the Orange County Register reported. He was also a cellist and singer who previously instrumental music courses, the newspaper reported.

Christensen earned his master’s degree at UC Irvine and also was principal at Fulton Middle School from 2006 to 2011, principal at Moiola K-8 School from 2003 to 2006 and assistant principal at Masuda Middle School from 2001 to 2003, according to the biography he wrote on the Newland website.

He was also a middle school instrumental music teacher in the Long Beach Unified School District before joining the Fountain Valley district, his biography said.

Mathew Beverleh, who identified himself as a tram driver at Disneyland, acknowledged the incident.

"It was so hard for us and everyone tonight," Beverleh wrote on Twitter. "I am sorry for him and his family..."